GO OCTOBER

c. 1

Final of the On

Members the tee:

Eliot o .. , Cedar man)

Mrs .. L .. v1 .. Swanson, Mason

Joe L .. C .. Wi Heyt·Jood, Hount Vernon

I. TRENDS INFLUENCING EDUCATION IN IOWA

J .. w .. J .. c ..

Maucker) Cedar Rapp, V. Smith, Des Moines Tuthill,

, Des Moines

Several basic social and economic have had a profound

effect upon education in Io-t·Ja and in the Nation. The intensi ion tJ:e se

trends anticipated in the next ten or fifteen years is certain to call for ex•

traordinary on the part of the general citizenry and those responsible

for education to improve and expand our elementary and our secondary schools,

and our colleges and universities ..

Notable among these trends are the follmving:

(1.) The so-called "population explosion", particularly

the increased birth rate after Horld '{.~Jar II, which has already overcrowded the

elementary schools, is now reaching our secondary schools, and will greatly ex~

pand the college age population within the next ten years.

(2.) There are not only more children at present but a

larger number of them are going to school than in the past and they stay in

school longer. There has been a dramatic increase in the proportion of college

EDUCATION

age youth

alone has been

Iowa col

of the fact

- 2 -

ties for

responsible for the

beyond high school. This factor

that the total enrollment in

risen by more than 40 per cent in the last in

the students coming out of high school during that time

were born during the low birth•rate years of the depression.

(3.) The greatly accelerated trend in migration from rural

to urban areas. means a reduced school population in many rural areas and

a vastly increased popu ion in many urban areas.

(4.)

growing responsibi for wor

complexity of the modern world and our

leadership greatly enhances the need for high-

ly trained manpower, a well-educated citizenry, and requires lengthening

time for formal education to secure adequate preparation •

• ) Increased knowledge of child development and learning

processes, plus the increasing complexity and specialization of the school

curriculum have led to the recognition that teaching is a highly skilled pro­

fession which requires an extensive period of training.

(6.) The need of modernization of teaching tools, supplies

and buildings for the educational plant at all levels has added to the cost of

education.

(7.) The inflationary trend of our national economy has

also contributed directly to in~reased costs of education.

(8.) World War II and the postwar inflation has contri­

buted to a critical shortage of well-qualified teachers due to competition from

other areas of our economy for highly trained people with advanced education.

(9.) The increased recognition that the general advance­

ment of learning, and,more specifically, our health, economic and social wel­

fare, and national defense depends upon progress in basic and applied research,

carried on to a significant degree in the large, complex universities and col­

leges.

EDUCATION ... 3

The Congress of the United States, cognizance of these basic

trends and the important educational problems resulting from them, has declared

that,as a matter national policy) our for education and

research must be strengthened and The Congress recently provided

special funds through the National Science Foundation and through the National

Defense Education Act in support of

icularly in science and mathematics, it is up to the people of the se-

veral states to maintain the necessary basic facilities for education.

IOWA'S RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION

A.

At the beginning of the present {1958-1959) school year, Iowa has

2,779 public school districts, of which 694 have high schools. In addition,

there are 389 private and parochial schools, 129 of which are at the secondary

level. Combined enrollment of all these schools in Iowa is over 650,000. Ap-

proximately 92 per cent of this total is enrolled in the public schools ..

Since 1954-1955, there has been a 37 per cent reduction in the number

of public school districts and a 15 per cent reduction in the number of public

1,117 * high school districts, but Iowa still contains ••••• one-room rural schools and

almost 80 per cent of the public high schools have fewet· than 200 pupils. Only

three states in the United States, which are: Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas,

have more public high school-districts than Iowa.

B. Colleges and Universities

Iowa has 51 colleges and universities located within its boundaries:

6 private junior colleges, 16 public junior colleges~ 26 private four-year col-

leges, and 3 state-supported institutions of higher education. Undergraduate

enrollments are divided about evenly between public and private institutions.

The public institutions carry the major share of the load of advanced professioi

al and the graduate instruction and research. It is important that both pri­

*In 1957-58 there v1ez·e 1,904 one-room rural schools in Iowa. This year, 1958-59 the number has been reduced to 1,117.

EDUCATION ... 4 -

vate and public institutions be r1.1aintained in condition in order to pro-

vide a wide

the types of control

opportunity for Iowa youth and to maintain

such institutions

RECOMNENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

A ..

in

In view of the trends described earlier in this report, it is of cru-

importance that both the public and colleges and universities be

enabled to provide their facilities to meet increased demands. Of all the

many recommendations which might be made regarding the of higher edu-

cation in Iowa, the Committee views three as most vital at time ..

1. The Committee recommends that the General Assembly ap­

propriate the sum of $70,000 (seventy thousand dollars) for the use during the

ne~ct biennium of the 11Study Committee on Higher Education", under the super­

vision of the State Board of Regents and the State Board of Public Instruction,

and adequate sums each biennium thereafter so long as the need for co-operative

study of higher education exists.

It is clear that there must be a substantial expansion of

facilities for higher education in Iowa in the next few years. It is not clear~

however, just what additional facilities and programs should be developed and

by ~-Jhom. The responsibility for the necessary planninr:; is divided between the

state government and local school boards with respect to publicly supported

colleges on the one hand, a~d 32 separate and independent private college

boards of trustees on the other. To assure wise use of existing facilities

and sound investment of additional tax monies and private funds, there must be

accurate collection and analysis of factual data, careful planning, and active

co-operation between the many diverse institutions of higher education, both

public and private.

Farseeing these needs, the State Board of Regents and the

EDUCATION 5

State of Pub Instruction in the Iowa Presi-

and the Iowa Association created in

Committee on Education in Committee

sents all the in Iowa, both lie

Its purpose is to of

Iowa and basic data and to

boards of all Iowa , to the Governor and members

bly, and to the citizens of Iowa.

The this Committee its

and senior col­

._y • .~ .... II:J,,.ion in

and

the General Assem-

ions can not

be Since it

the State, it is the

lie interests in

vehicle to ~a,,.u~~L

the of data and by all such groups.

To date, this Committee has been serious by

lack of financial resources. It has not been ab to make stu-

The Committee needs a reasonable annual budget to services

of a staff with expense to carry on its functions.. It is clearly in the

interest of the State of Iowa to provide such funds.

2. The Committee on Education it is ive

that the operating funds of Iowa colleges and universities be increased sub­

stantially during the years immediately ahead.

The major problem common to all colleges is that of lift­

ing faculty salaries to substantially higher levels in order to secure and re­

tain competent persons for teaching and research, in the face of stiff competi·

tion from other employers. In addition, as enrollment expand, more staff mem·

bers 't'lill have to be obtained.

It is therefore, extremely important that the citizens of

Iowa should make possible sizeable additions to the staffs and substantial in·

creases in faculty salaries in Im\fa colleges and universities by:

a. Supporting the private institutions

EDUCATION

more generous

of tax

lative

, and State Teachers

col

3

eight million

and urges

... 6

and and maintenance

, and

., o. increases in

funds of the State Univers , State Col-

~ and strong local for junior

long-range building program State Board

administrative and lative and

the people of the State to take the necessary to make this program a

litt bui has been with State

on these three campuses the last five years. During the de-

pression in the 1930's, funds were not available. During World War II, mater·

were not As a resu of the inflation in the post-war period,

the funds that were made available did not go far in providing the necessary

buildings. The temporary barracks brought onto the campuses in order to cope

with the increase in enrollments of the G.I. period immediately following the

war a:re now wearing out.. T'tventy per cent of the total number of class rooms

and laboratories in the three schools are in temporary, obsolete or hazardous

structures. Thus, there is a serious need for buildings to provide the ade-

quate facilities for the present number of students.

Faced with the prospect of substantially increased enroll-

ments in ~he next ten years and with continuing demands for more research to

improve the health and welfare of Iowa's people and strengthen their economy,

the three State schools are increasingly conscious of an important "building

deficit 11, ~1hich ought to no longer go unheeded.

Analysis reveals that Iowa has not made a substantial ef-

fort with regard to this matter; most of the States in the Mid-West have spent

EDUCATION 7 -

as Iowa more than twice as much per

at State institutions higher education since World War

for build­

Most of the

one sees on our campuses as he drives by these institutions have

been built without tax room and board

students.. The need now is for classroom and

made by the

facilities which

are the the State as a

On 9, formal declar-

ed its conviction that the future bui needs of the State institutions of

higher learning (the State , the State College, the State Teach-

ers College) will call for the

$68,000,000 (sixty million dol

a total of not less than

over the next t\velve years; that

such building needs can be met by

a State bond issue; and that it is

for

that

in whole or in

program be

by

at the earliest possible date. The Board recommended specifically:

a.. An appropriation by the General Assembl}

at its ne.:Kt regular session (1959) of not than $26,000,000 (twenty six

million dollars) from the general fund, to begin

State institutions of higher learning.

building program at the

b. Action by the same General Assembly

authorizing a vote of the people at the general election in November, 1960, on

incurring a State debt for the unappropriated balance of said $68,000,000

(sixty eight million dollars) and issuing twenty~year general obligation bonds

secured by a direct tax to pay for buildings, land, and utilities at the State

institutions of higher learning, and

c. Approval of said bond issue by the

people at the general election in 1960.

The Committee believes that it is the duty of the people of

the State of Iowa, as part of the nationwide effort to strengthen programs of

EDUCATION 8

and , to see to it that its inst ions of

cation are

fore 3

B.

The Committee

of the next dozen years. It, there•

'\<lithout recommendation as to the method of financing ..

ion of the following

ion in State of Iowa.

1 Committee recommends that the citizens of Iowa sup-

the objectives of our State for our school dis-

tricts into e ient units and of all dis-

tricts in the State to be a high school for the follotving reasons:

a. All children of the State are entitled

to equal educational opportunities.. Some youngsters are attending schoo at

the present time which do not offer an terminal program nor

co ion work.

b. It is a well established fact that

good schools cost money. As standards of education are raised higher, the

costs of schools are certain to increase To fail to organize school

districts into as economic and efficient units as possible is wasting tax funds

which are seriously needed for the educational program.

c. Good teachers are in short supply. The

qualified teaching personnel in the should be used as effectively and

efficiently as possible.

d. In fairness to our taxpayers we should

make every effort to see that State funds are not supporting districts which

offer poor programs.

e. All taxpayers in the State should con-

tribute to the education of the young people of IO't·7a.

f. Providing education for youngsters on

a tuition basis deprives parents of the right to have a voice in the kind and

EDUCATION ... 9 ...

qua of the program Local our always been

a feature of our American school system is, no doubt, a very responsible

in the our our

society and our economy.

2. The Committee supports the recornmenda-

to the 58th General Assembly in

regard to revisions in the the of Superintendent

of Public Instruction. The State Board recommends that the limitation on the

maximum salary of the Superintendent and two assistants be removed and

that the provision requiring Senate confirmation of the Superintendent's ap-

pointment be eliminated.

We cannot expect to and keep qualified men in top

positions in education in Im'la 't·Jhen we have written into our State la~v a limit

upon salaries, particularly when that limit is below most accepted administra·

tive salary standings in many local districts.

The Legislature, by removing the necessity of Senate con-

firmation on the appointment of the State Superintendent, will be further car-

rying out its established policy of removing the Department of Public Instruc-

tion from political influence.

3. It is recommended by this committee that the State

Board of Public Instruction be authorized to prepare a proposed revision and

codification of the laws of Iowa relating to education for consideration by

the 59th General Assembly meeting in January of 1961. It is further recom-

mended that funds to carry out the above revision and codification be appro-

priated to the State Board of Public Instruction.

The school laHs of the State of Iowa have been in the pro-

At p~esent many small elementary districts send their students of high school age to adjoining high school districts on a tuition basis. Parents of these students have no direct control through voting in the affairs of said high schools.

EDUCATION

economy in the

and taxpaye~s of

actions.

- 10 -

for many years with statutes containing numerous

and omissions which inter with proper

ion of the This has cost the citizens

thousands dol and wasted time in legal

No serious attempt has been made by the lature to ser-

vice the school code since 1943. The 49th General Assembly meet in

1941 established a School Code Commission authorized to clarify and recodify

the school laws. The recommendations of this Code Commission were presented

to the 50th General Assembly adoption. The General Assembly failed

to adopt these recommendations. However, they did establish a second Code

Commission authorized, ly, to make recommendations to the 51st General

Assembly on the financing of education in the State.

In the intervening 15 years, the addition of new statutes

and revisions of old have added to the confusion and ambiguities of the pre­

sent code.,

The 57th General Assembly adopted the policy that all of

the areas of the State shall be in high school districts by July 1, 1962. To

achieve this objective, it is imperative that the School Code be brought up­

to-date, so that school district reorganization and consolidation will be fac­

ilitated and encouraged. All the obsolete sections of the Code, such as those

pertaining to rural districts should be eliminated. The patrons and admini•

strators of the school districts of the State have the right to expect the

Legislature to provide them with a school code that is clear, concise and free

from uncertainities of interpretation.

4. This Committee supports the recommendation of the State

Board of Public Instruction to the General Assembly for an increase of State

funds for the support of elementary and ~econdary schools.

EDUCATION 11 ...

VJe further recommend that the requirements for

state distributive funds be strengthened with special regard to hastening the

reorganization school districts throughout the state in order to

duce a more efficient educational program, both from the standpoint of size

and quality

The 51st General Assembly adopted the principle that fi

nancing elementary and secondary education is a shared responsibility of the

State and local districts. This change in policy had as objectives:

a. The equalization of education opportu·

nities throughout the State, and

b. The distribution of money collected at

the State level to school districts in the recognition of the State's re-

sponsibility for the education of all its children, and for

c. Local property tax relief.

From 1951 through 1958 funds collected at the State level

and distributed to school districts have increased only slightly more than 5

million dollars while over the same period local school property taxes have in-

creased at the approximate rate of 7 million dollars per year.

School costs are certain to increase further if 'ttle are to

provide our young people with better teachers, better facilities and more mean ..

ingful curricula. We cannot meet these costs without increased support in

funds from State-collected revenues.

IV. TOPICS FOR FUTURE STUDY

The foregoing recommendations by no means then cover the whole sub-

ject of the future needs for education in Iowa. This Committee in the few

* Dr. James Conant recommends that high schools should be large enough to maintain a student enrollment sufficient in size to produce a graduating class of at least 100 pupils per year.

For many years the Department of Rural Education of the National Education Association, made up entirely of rural school people, has maintained that a school district should have a minimum student population of 1,200 pupils from Kindergarten through 12th grade,

EDUCATION 12 ...

months at its be that it was more to concentrate on

some

tax

with

which

the more

that we were

problems

to cover

For example: whole area of

as they relate to the

J~ "Have our tax and 1

were

in the

, state, 1

education in Iowa

our

time at our

and

the

education kept pace

moving, complex soc in which tve are ?"

A specific problem in area is the on the mi rate

school in Io,·7a may for retirement of bonded indebted

ness and payment of interest.

The financing of higher education is a subject that careful

costs of are making it more for

lies to provide for their children's education beyond high school at the

same time that the nation's need for highly trained personnel is increasing.

To what extent should society underwrite the educational expenses of such de­

serving students? vfuenever a student of ability is unable to pursue his edu­

cation to the point that he can make the best use of his talents, both the in

dividual and society are the losers. Recognizing this problem the Federal

government has recently extended the support of education by setting up a pro­

gram to provide low-interest rate loans to deserving students; and several

states, including Illinois in this area, have established State scholarship

programs for residents of the State who attend State institutions of higher

education, both public and private. This Comraittee believes such programs

should be studied in relation to Im-1a' s needs.

He have not touched on the matter of content of the educational pro­

gram at the various different levels. Many of the governing boards, admini·

strators and teachers of this State have been giving this serious attention.

Citizens and lay groups should acquaint themselves with the improvements and

EDUCATION 13

that are place at level

We have not gone into the matter

·cation in IoHa, which

adult education through an

of the junior the

such

le

the ion higher edu-

as the program for

program or otherwise; the role

for new schools; and

the most ient utilization the existing ies of education ..

sues and problems

Iowa need to

and State

a interest in studying the is·

affairs, both public and

He believe that a citizen's committee ca.n serve a valuable purpose by giving

serious consideration to such issues, and by he to make the people of

Imv-a more aware of the educational needs of the State ..